After uproar over lead content, Odisha sends Maggi samples for test

The Public Health Department of Odisha Government has sent Maggi noodle samples for examination following a huge uproar in the country over its contents.

While the Food Department of Uttar Pradesh Government has already conducted the test, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have already ordered sample tests.

“The six samples collected from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur will be examined at the laboratory under the Public Health Department of Odisha. Action will be initiated as per law against the company and its distributors should anything impermissible be found in the contents. The reports of these tests are expected on June 14,” said state Food Commissioner Babaji Charan Dash.

It may be noted that earlier this month, Indian Food Safety Regulators from Uttar Pradesh claimed that samples of Maggi 2-minute noodles were found to contain traces of lead beyond permissible limits and added monosodium glutamate (MSG).

MSG enhances the taste of the product, but has been proven to be harmful for health if consumed beyond prescribed limits.

The samples of Maggi noodles were taken from Uttar Pradesh state and were tested for the amount of lead contents. It was found to be exceeding human health safety limits.

While the permissible amount of lead in any food material is 0.01 ppm, the Maggi noodles samples were found to contain 17 ppm by the FSDA, Lucknow. The company, however, clarified about the amount of lead in Maggi, claiming that it is negligible and amounts to less than 1 per cent.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has already ordered Nestle to withdraw a specific batch of Maggi products from the market as contents of MSG and lead were found beyond permissible limits in those products.

As per latest reports, Nestle’s Maggi is likely to face ban in the country because of the harmful chemicals found in it. The State Governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have already banned Maggi in their states.